What is hermeneutics? I have read the definition a million times but then authors use phrases like theoretical hermeneutics or hermeneutic exegesis, cyclical hermeneutics.

Question

I honestly cannot wrap my head around what they mean.

In: Other

Answer 1

Hermeneutics refers to the attribution of meaning to (usually) text. Hermeneutic “scholars” offer opinions about what an original author intended, typically about what the author “meant.” Since the original source is not available to challenge any interpretations, these opinions are not falsifiable. Thus, these opinions can generate more opinions about those opinions. Ad nauseum. Senseless rhetoric, in my opinion.